Automatically-operating fabric clamping and gripping buckle



Apr. 10, 1923., 1,451,191

J. R. WADE AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING FABRIC CLAMPING AND GRIPPING BUCKLEFiled Oct. 2 1922 Patented Apr. 10, 1923..

rrsn rains JEM n. WADE, or ,Dnnvnn, COLORADO, nssrenon or ONE-HA F ToTHENEW ENGLAND ELEcTRIcooMrnNY, or DENVER, co onA o, .AzCOBPOR ATION OFCOLORADO..

I AUTOMATICALLY-OPERATING FABRIC CLAMPING A G I PING BUCKLE,

Application filed October 2, 1922. Serial No. 591,994.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JEM R. WADE, a citizen of theUnited States ofAmerica, residing at the city and county of Denver and State ofColorado, have invented new and useful Automatically-Operating FabricClamping and Gripping Buckles, of which the following is aspecification. 7 My invention relates to anew type of automaticallyoperating fabric clamping and gripping buckle for gripping the ends ofsanitary napkins, stockings, and other fabric articles. i And theobjects of my-invention are:

First: To provide an automatically operating fabric gripping buckle thatcan be easily and quickly attached to the ends of sanitary napkins, andthat will firmly clamp them against accidental movement or displacementat any part of their end portions,

and that is free from fabric penetrating members, and that can hequickly released from the said end portions.

Secondz'To provide an automatically operating fabric gripping bucklethat is adapt- I ed to be clamped to the upper ends of stockings orother articles, and that is arranged and adapted to be quickly attachedto them to hold and support them in unwrinkled po- 1y made.

sitio ns, and that is provided with such smooth surfaces that it doesnot engage the wearer with frictional pressure, and that can beinstantly released from the article.

Third: To provide'an automatically operating fabric grippingbuckle thatwill clampingly grip the free ends offabrics with an "arc tightened, andwithout in any way punc- 'turing or fraying or tearing the fabric, and

that is made preferably of wire and'isvery light of weight, andca-n beeasily and cheap- I attainthese objects the mechanism illustrated'in theaccompanying drawings,

in which: v a

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my automatically operating fabricclampingv gripping, but quickly releasable buckle secured to the pendantportions of a waist beltq] Fig.2 is a front view-full size-of theimproved fabric gripping buckle.

' Fig. 3 is avertical, sectional view through the same, showing themanner in whichthe end of a fabric article is clamped between the twoparts of the buckle.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a stocking supporter. And

its adaptation as Fig. 5 is a front view showing the device arranged foruse in connection with towels and like articles. i

Similarletters of reference refe'r' to simi-- 1211* parts throughout the.severalviews.

Referring to the drawings:

The numerals 1 and'Qr-represent the 'oppo- I site portions of a piece ofsuitable wire that is bent, into several shapes to form the mam or baseportion of the improved buc--' kle, and the several shapes of the -wireand which are united by a sleeve 3- that is tightly forced over them toform a bar, and the 'Opposite portions of the wire beyond the sleeve arebent uponthemselves into small loops 4 to form reverse or inwardlyextending hori-L zontal portions 5 of the-loop, which-may be made aslongas desired, but preferably about an inch to two inches long as desired,for. sanitary napkins and for stockings.

The loops 4 are made largeflenough to form a space between the outsidesleeve 3 and'the inside horizontal portions 5,to allow the sleeve'tolreceive the lower end of a piece of fabric or ribbon that forms thev pendantfi'on the waist belt 7;,and the end. of the pendant is sewed orotherwise secured around the sleeve 3 to the pendant.

The short horizontal portionsflf) extend inward to-ward each other andthen 'termi-.

nate in. short semicircular bonds 8, which areseparated fromeach otherby a suitable space, and from the terminal ends 8 the wire'is bent toform' addepending, triangular or lieart-sha 'ied frame A, the contractedend. 9 of which points downward. 7 The heart-shaped frameciawith itshorizontal bar 3, forms the main or base member of The clamping membercompriseslan in-- complete heart-shapedff rame, the free ends of whichare formed into eyes 10, which en circlenthe hori'zontal members 5 ofthe main frame close to thesemicircul ar terminalS 8,

and thus form a hinge connection with the said horizontal members 5.

The clamping member B does not coincide throughout with the outline ofthe main frame A, but its upper end portions 11 adjoining the eyes 10are bent on a curve of a greater radius than the corresponding portionsof themain .frame 10, so that the clamping frame at these points,instead of coincidin with the corresponding curved corners of the mainframe, extends across and slightly inside these-corners and rests uponthe sides and? top portions of the main 1 frame, and not upon itscurvedupper corners. This arrangement gives the clamping frame a firmbearing on the main frame and prevents either sidemember of the clampingframe from slipping over the adjacent .jcorner of the. main frame whenthe buckle is innse, as. will be understood by reference to Figure 2.Also, the lower end-of the clamping frame terminates slightly above ,thecorrespondingend of the main frame, which effects a better clampingactlon than would obtain if both frames were of the same length. I

In Figure l ef. the drawings, the, im-

. proved clampino buckle is shown in connectionwith supporting means forwomens sanitary napkins, and 1n th s. adaptation, one of the buckles issecured to each of two opposite depending; straps 6, which are securedto a waist band or belt 7 In securing the napkin, each end ispassedthrough both framesnof the buckle so as to rest in the contracted lowerends of the same; the free end of the napkin is then passed around andunder the end of the clamping frame and back through the main frame,beneath-the bodv portion of the napkin, as shownin Figure 3, a shortlength of the said end portion dependin below the buckle. "the. pullexerted upon the ends of the napkin acts to draw the clamp ng members.of the buckle .towards. the main frames of the same, thereby clampingthe ends of the napkin firmly between the two members of the buckle, and

. augmented.

the ends of the napkin are held in the contracted ends of the buckleframes, the fabric is thereby crowded into a continuously narrowingspace,under the pull exerted upon the napkin. by which the clampingaction upon the ends of the napkin is ..'is there is always more or lesspull on the napkin, there is no danger of the ends of the napkinbecoming; disconnected from the clamps.

In Figure & of the drawings I have illustrated the improved buckle inconnection with a stocking supporter. In this arrangement, the buckle issecured to a strap 12 which depends from a triangular ring 13,

to which is secured the ends of the usual strap M, which is passedaround the leg of the wearer below the knee. As a stocking articles.

supporter, the buckle is preferably made of smaller size than when usedfor other purposes, but in other respects it is the same character ofbuckle as that shown inrigures 1 and 2. i v

In Figure 5 of the drawings-is shown a front view of the improvedbuokle,as adapted for use in connection with towels and like In thisarrangemenflthe'sl'eeve 3 is omitted, and the horizontal terminal endportionsof the main frame of the buckle are confined in the foldedportion 15 of a metal plate 16, which is bent upon itself midway of itslength. The fold 15 tightly surrounds the end portions of the buckle,and the flat portions of the plate are pressed into engagement with eachother, and are provided with nail. orscrew holes 17, bywhichthe platemay bev secured to a fixed object, thus securely supporting the buckle.

The'improved buckle presents many ad-;

vantages over buckles in general use, chief among which arethe quick andeasy manner of securing the same uponan article, and absence of partsthat would tear garments, or

injure the-wearer.

Having described my p claim as new and desire to: secure by LettersPatent, is; I U

' 1. A fabric clamping device ofthe character. described, consisting ofa wireframe,

like member comprising a. horizontal bar portion of suitable length,whichisbent at points defining the length ofthe bar, to form inwardlyextending. membersv which lie beneath andare parallel with the bar, saidmembers being bent in reverse directions, and then around to form anincomplete ringlike member, and a second incomplete'ringlike member, ofsubstantially the same size and shape as the first ringlike member, the

free ends of which are bent around the said inwardly extending membersto form a hinge connection therewith. I I I r I 2. In a fabric clampingdevice of the character described, a wire which is bent centrally of itslength to form an incomplete ring-like member, the opposite lengthsbeing then bent outward in opposite directions, to

form short horizontal portions whichten minate 1n reverse bends 'to forma divided which terminate in reverse bends to form a invention, what I IMamet divided horizontal bar, a retaining sleeve rigidly secured uponthe said divided horizontal bar, and an incomplete heart-shaped frame ofthe same size as the first frame, the free ends of which are bent aroundthe said short horizontal members to form a hinge connection therewith.

4. In a fabric clamping device of the characteridescribed, an incompleteheart-shaped main frame, the opposite members of which are .bentoutwardly in opposite directions to form short horizontal members, andthen inwardly to form a divided horizontal bar, a retaining sleevesecured around said horizontal bar, said bar providing for attachmentthereof of a depending support, an incomplete heart-shaped clampingframe of end of a fabric article between itself and the main frame whensaid end is passed through both frames, and around the contractedportion of the clamping frame, and back through the main frame.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signatur in presence of two witnesses.

i JEM R. WADE.

I Witnesses Y i G. SARGENT ELLIOTT, ELIZABETH SMITH.

